PORTLAND- Florence “Evelyn” Gasdek went by many names. Her given name was Florence; her
friends called her Evelyn; to four wonderful women she was Mom; to her nine grandchildren and
two great-grandchildren she was Mimi, Ga, Gagi and Grammy. And to her devoted husband of
62 years, she was Pie. But for all of us—whatever we called her—she was our family’s binding
force, a gravitational center so strong and so filled with love and grace and warmth.
A lifelong Roman Catholic, Evelyn Gasdek passed away on Nov. 22, 2024, at the Gosnell
Memorial Hospice House from lung cancer. She was surrounded by family.
Born on Nov. 5, 1939, to Paul Golder and Florence Enigk in Williamsport, Pa., Mimi
went on to graduate from Montoursville Area High School in 1957. She became her family’s first
college graduate when she graduated from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pa. in 1972.
Momfound purpose in teaching English as a Second Language classes to immigrant families and
then transitioned to a career in higher education. She worked in registrar’s offices for 18 years,
first at Kennesaw State University and later as the Assistant Registrar at the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte. After retiring to care for her young grandsons, she finished out her
professional years working at Kellam, Simpson & Loflin, PLLC.
On Oct. 6, 1962, Evelyn Golder married her soulmate, Peter Gasdek. For 62 years, Pete
and Ev —Papa and Ga —Mimi and Pa—showed us all what love looks like. Fueled by
patience and grace, always ready to dish out London broil or Texas sheet cake, Pete and Ev’s
love for each other powered a familial force that could be felt from Maine to Arizona, from the
Carolinas to Alaska.
Their first date—going to the theaters to see “Pocketful of Miracles”—launched their life
together. Within 12 months they were married, and they welcomed their first of four daughters
the following year. Whether they lived in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia or the Carolinas, they
were always able to make their supper (not dinner) table feel like home. No matter the chaos
around them, Pete and Ev and their Sunday suppers were a constant, bringing the family together
to share a meal at the beginning of every week.
And as Pete and Ev grew older, their love never wavered. When their last daughter left
home for Charleston, S.C., and grandchildren began popping up at the family table, ‘Mom’
became ‘Grammy’, and then ‘Mimi’ and then ‘Gagi.’ Around this time, she and Pa caught the
travel bug. After an anniversary trip to the Bahamas in 1996, the couple globetrotted for decades.
They visited Paris, Pompeii, Turkey, San Francisco, Florence and Rome. They went on
Mediterranean cruises with Uncle Don; they went to Canada and to the Caribbean. Wherever
they traveled, they could be found in shops, in cafés, eating good bread and walking for hours on
end.
But no matter where she was, Gagi never lost touch with those Pennsylvania roots. She
returned home year after year for high school reunions, she visited her brother at his beloved
Bear Mountain whenever she could, and cheered on the Steelers with Papa every Sunday. And
when she was traveling, Gagi was always certain to leave a little extra room in the suitcase for
things to bring back to the ones she loved. When Mimi and Pa came back from a two-week
London trip, Gagi brought back jerseys for every single one of her soccer-crazed grandsons.
And here’s the thing about Ga: she could not have cared less about sports. And yet, her
presence in the audience at her grandchildren’s games and matches was never in question. She
cheered on at Alex’s gymnastics meets and Steven’s soccer matches. She was in the crowd at
Charlie’s track meets and Joseph’s football games. She was there for David’s tennis matches and
she braved Maine October nights to watch Ben, Abigail and Will play soccer. She trekked up to
Brunswick to watch Sam’s Bowdoin football games. A third string punter, he probably had a
higher chance of getting struck by lightning than seeing the field, but no matter what, his
grandma was in the stands. In Maine’s bitter cold and in the blistering Carolina heat, she was
always there. And she didn’t just show up once the games became more palatable as the
grandkids got older—nope. She was there for the U6 soccer games and the T-ball seasons. She
was there for four-hour dance recitals and for church-league basketball games where half the
kids didn’t know they had to dribble.
And the whole time, Papa was right beside her.
And he stayed beside her until her final breath. For the month that Evelyn was in the
hospital, Pa was next to her the entire time, arriving first thing in the morning and leaving only
once Gagi was ready for bed. He held her hand every day, first in the hospital and then in the
hospice house. And when Ev stopped speaking, Pete made sure to say enough “I love you’s” for
the both of them.
In those last weeks, Grammy’s magnetic love brought her whole family together one final
time. A week before her passing, nearly all her grandchildren and all four of her daughters made
the trip up to Maine to be with her. Only Gagi could bring the whole family together like that. It
had been years since we’d all seen each other, but as soon as everyone arrived, it was like not a
moment had passed. There was definitely no question Mom was happiest when she was with
family, but that week when all of us were together, surrounding Mimi in the hospital, there was
definitely no question that the family was happiest when we were with her. All those Easter
dinners and Sunday suppers culminated in one last show of Evelyn’s unconditional love for us
all. The road she paved for all of us just so happened to be a two-way street.
Instead of playing football in the park next to Mimi and Pa’s townhouse, we huddled
around Little Joseph’s phone as he showed us pictures of his newborn baby boy. Instead of
waiting for Gagi to tell us to come inside and wash up for supper, her daughters and grandkids
and in-laws trekked to Panera and McDonalds for broccoli cheddar soup and vanilla milkshakes
to make sure Ev had the food she wanted.
Throughout her life, Evelyn taught her family the importance of food, that food is a love
language (and also that the amount of butter in a dish directly correlates to how good it is). She
nourished her family with cube steak and mashed potatoes, with spaghetti and meatballs,
and—of course—with the Thanksgiving turkey. She showed us that a meal without bread is a
meal incomplete, and that bread without butter is equally pointless. She taught us that food can
be divine and that dessert is a right not a privilege. She imparted her love of Bruce Springsteen
and Elvis, of Black Friday shopping and of any kind of flower. She showed us that some of the
best afternoons can be spent watching birds with the person you love and that no matter what,
family comes first.
She is survived by her husband, Peter; her four daughters: Kara (and Joseph) Zakhia,
Patti (and Michael) Manolakis, Elana (and John) Griffing, and Erika (and Jason) Pausman; her
eight grandsons: Joseph (and Diamynde) and Alex Zakhia; Charlie, Steven and Will Manolakis;
David Griffing; and Sam and Ben Pausman; and her sole granddaughter: Abigail Pausman.
Grammy is also survived by her two great-grandchildren, Charbel and Mateo Zakhia, as well as
her sisters: Connie Crance and Ann Speaker and their families.
She is preceded in death by her parents, grandparents Poppy and Grammy Golder, and
beloved brother Don Enigk, who undoubtedly welcomed her into Heaven with the biggest bear
hug ever.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the American Cancer Society in
Evelyn’s honor.
The family will hold a service to celebrate Evelyn’s life in 2025. We hope this will give
the entire family an opportunity to experience the Maine summer that she loved so very much
Arrangements have been entrusted to Poitras Funeral Homes, www.mainefuneral.com.